Phototherapy system for improving vision

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application is a phototherapy system for improving vision. The phototherapy system comprises: a light source, which is used for emitting illumination light; and a light shaper, which is used for shaping the illumination light emitted by the light source, such that the light forms a light spot with a specific pattern. The light spot is used to be projected onto the ocular fundus to improve vision. The shaped pattern of the light shaper comprises: a pattern formed by the irregular arrangement of single patterns, a pattern formed by the regular arrangement of single patterns, and / or a pattern formed by the irregular arrangement of a plurality of patterns. Using the solution of the present application can achieve precise, efficient, and safe vision improvement for the population.

Description

A phototherapy system for improving vision

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510099173.1, filed on January 22, 2025, entitled "A Phototherapy System for Improving Vision", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application generally relates to the field of optical technology. More specifically, this application relates to a phototherapy system for improving vision. Background Technology

[0003] Myopia has become a major public health problem worldwide, profoundly impacting individual health, family life, and social development. The occurrence of myopia is influenced by both congenital genetic factors and acquired environmental factors. Congenital genetic factors primarily manifest in the regulation of eyeball development by genes; for example, specific genes may affect axial length, scleral structure, and retinal function, making individuals more susceptible to myopia during physiological development. Acquired environmental factors are closely related to an individual's lifestyle and eye-use behavior. Prolonged close-range eye use increases the burden on the eye's accommodation, thereby stimulating axial length growth; while reduced outdoor activity time may decrease the opportunity for dopamine release from the retina, further accelerating myopia progression. Studies have shown that direct irradiation of the retina with long-wavelength red light (such as red light around 650nm) can effectively inhibit axial length growth, having a positive impact on myopia prevention and control.

[0004] Currently, existing phototherapy devices still rely on specific wavelengths of light to correct vision problems. However, environmental factors primarily affect vision by altering the image input received by the retina. Different types of image input significantly impact the development and adaptive changes of the eyeball. In today's society, people are constantly engaged in near-vision activities, such as prolonged use of electronic screens. This results in the retina receiving mostly fine, fixed near-field patterns, and this continuous visual stimulation is one of the main mechanisms of myopia development. Simply using phototherapy devices with specific wavelengths of light cannot address the root causes of these problems and therefore cannot meet the current societal demand for vision improvement.

[0005] In view of this, there is an urgent need to provide a solution for a phototherapy system to improve vision, so as to provide accurate, efficient and safe vision correction for the target population. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to at least solve one or more of the technical problems mentioned above, this application proposes a phototherapy system for improving vision in several embodiments.

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a phototherapy system for improving vision, comprising: a light source for emitting illumination light; and a light shaper for shaping the illumination light emitted by the light source so that the light forms a light spot with a specific pattern, the light spot being projected onto the fundus to improve vision; wherein the shaping pattern of the light shaper includes: a pattern formed by the irregular arrangement of single graphics, a pattern formed by the regular arrangement of single graphics, and / or a pattern formed by the irregular arrangement of multiple graphics.

[0008] In one embodiment, the light shaper includes: a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is composed of the single pattern or the multiple patterns, such that the first region presents the shaping pattern; wherein the light transmittance of the first region is greater than that of the second region, such that the light passes through the first region and the second region to form a light spot with a specific pattern.

[0009] In another embodiment, the transmittance of the first region ranges from (0 to 100%), and the transmittance of the second region ranges from [0 to 100%).

[0010] In another embodiment, the graphics in the single graphic include: a plurality of graphics with different light transmittance and the same shape; or, the graphics in the single graphic are graphics with the same light transmittance and the same shape.

[0011] In yet another embodiment, the plurality of patterns includes: a plurality of patterns with different transmittances; or, the plurality of patterns are a plurality of patterns with the same transmittance.

[0012] In another embodiment, the pattern formed by arranging the single graphic in a regular pattern includes: a pattern formed by arranging the single graphic along a fixed direction and at a fixed interval, and / or a pattern formed by the single graphic spreading outward from its geometric center and superimposing.

[0013] In yet another embodiment, the fixed direction is a single direction, or the fixed direction includes multiple different directions.

[0014] In yet another embodiment, the plurality of different directions are a first direction and a second direction that are perpendicular to each other.

[0015] In yet another embodiment, the value of the fixed spacing satisfies d1 = M × k × S cell Where d1 represents a fixed spacing, and S cell Let S represent the size of the photoreceptor cell, k represent the unit cell number coefficient, k is a positive integer, and M represent the magnification of the phototherapy system projection; and / or, the graphic size of the single graphic satisfies S. figure 1 = M × l × S cell, among which, S figure 1 represents the graphic size, l represents the cell number coefficient, and l is a positive integer.

[0016] In another embodiment, the pattern formed by the irregular arrangement of the various graphics satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the pattern has at least two kinds of spacing between adjacent graphics, and the value of any spacing between adjacent graphics satisfies d2 = M × n × S. cell Where d2 represents the spacing between adjacent graphics, and S cell Let S represent the size of the photoreceptor cells, n represent the unit cell number coefficient (n is a positive integer), and M represent the magnification of the phototherapy system projection. Among the various graphics, the size of any one of the graphics satisfies S... figure 2 = M × q × S cell , among which, S figure 2 represents the graphic size, q represents the cell number coefficient, and q is a positive integer.

[0017] In another embodiment, in the light spot with the specific pattern, the specific pattern satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the spacing between adjacent patterns is in the range of (0.002mm, 0.5mm); the size of the pattern is in the range of (0.002mm, 0.5mm).

[0018] In yet another embodiment, the graphic includes one or more of the following graphics: a solid circle, a torus, a solid polygon, and a polygonal frame.

[0019] In another embodiment, it further includes: a light polarizer; the light polarizer is disposed in the propagation direction of the illumination light and is used to adjust the polarization direction of the illumination light to form polarized light.

[0020] In yet another embodiment, the light polarizer is placed between the light source and the light shaper; or, the light polarizer is placed on the light-emitting side of the light shaper.

[0021] In yet another embodiment, the polarized light is one of the following polarized lights: circularly polarized light, elliptically polarized light, partially polarized light, and linearly polarized light.

[0022] In another embodiment, it further includes: a pattern adjuster; the pattern adjuster is connected to the light shaper and is used to control the light shaper to adjust the shape of the light spot projected onto the fundus within a preset period.

[0023] In yet another embodiment, the pattern adjuster is a drive mechanism that controls the movement of the light shaper.

[0024] In yet another embodiment, the motion includes rotation and / or translation; the rotation includes continuous rotation in the same direction and / or positive and negative rotation around a fixed point; the translation includes unidirectional translation and / or oscillating movement of any combination of bidirectional translations.

[0025] In another embodiment, it further includes: a light source regulator; the light source regulator is connected to the light source and is used to control the power of the light source so that it emits illumination light with varying brightness within a preset period.

[0026] In another embodiment, the illumination light with varying brightness includes: illumination light with gradually changing brightness, illumination light with alternating brightness and darkness, and illumination light with gradually alternating brightness; wherein, within a preset period, the brightness of the illumination light with gradually changing brightness gradually changes over time; within the preset period, the brightness change of the illumination light with alternating brightness includes a bright phase and a dark phase, wherein during the bright phase, the brightness of the illumination light with alternating brightness is a preset value, and during the dark phase, the brightness of the illumination light with alternating brightness is 0; within the preset period, the brightness change of the illumination light with gradually alternating brightness includes a bright phase and a dark phase, wherein during the bright phase, the brightness of the illumination light with gradually alternating brightness gradually changes over time, and during the dark phase, the brightness of the illumination light with gradually alternating brightness is 0.

[0027] The phototherapy system for improving vision described above, in this embodiment, uses a light shaper to shape light into a spot with a specific pattern for projection onto the fundus. Based on this, the visual stimulation of this specific pattern can adjust the signal processing of multiple neurons in the retina, reducing the tendency for excessive eyeball elongation, and enabling precise spatial stimulation of the retina to improve vision.

[0028] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of this application. In order to better understand the technical means of this application and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of this application more obvious and understandable, the following are specific embodiments of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0029] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0030] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of exemplary embodiments of this application will become readily understood by reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, several embodiments of this application are illustrated by way of example and not limitation, and the same or corresponding reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts, wherein:

[0031] Figure 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram showing the basic optical path structure of a single tube in an existing phototherapy device;

[0032] Figure 2 is an exemplary schematic diagram showing the human retina;

[0033] Figure 3 is an exemplary structural block diagram illustrating a phototherapy system for improving vision according to an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 4 shows an exemplary schematic diagram of a phototherapy system for improving vision according to an embodiment of this application.

[0035] Figure 5A is an exemplary schematic diagram showing a pattern formed by arranging a single graphic in a regular manner according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 5B is an exemplary schematic diagram showing a pattern formed by arranging a single graphic irregularly according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 5C illustrates a pattern formed by the irregular arrangement of various graphics according to an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 6 is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating a light polarizer according to an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 7 is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating the rotation and translation of a light shaper according to an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 8 is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating the brightness variation of illumination light according to an embodiment of this application. Specific Implementation

[0041] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0042] It should be understood that the terms "comprising" and "including" used in the specification and claims of this application indicate the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or collections thereof.

[0043] It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the application. As used in this specification and claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this specification and claims refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes such combinations.

[0044] As used in this specification and claims, the term "if" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "when," "once," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, the phrase "if determined" or "if [described condition or event] is detected" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "once determined," "in response to determination," "once [described condition or event] is detected," or "in response to detection of [described condition or event]."

[0045] As described in the background section above, myopia is caused by a combination of congenital genetic factors and acquired environmental factors. Specific genes among the congenital genetic factors may affect axial length, scleral structure, and retinal function, making individuals more susceptible to myopia during physiological development. However, the effects of myopia-related genes are usually significantly regulated by acquired environmental factors. In modern society, prolonged close-range visual use (such as reading books and using electronic devices) and lack of outdoor activities are the main causes of the high incidence of myopia. Studies have shown that prolonged close-range visual use increases the accommodative burden on the eyeball, thereby stimulating axial elongation; while reduced outdoor activity time may reduce the opportunity for dopamine release from the retina, further accelerating the progression of myopia. In addition, poor eye habits (such as reading at too close a distance and insufficient lighting) also increase the risk of myopia. Among these factors, axial elongation is one of the main causes of myopia in humans.

[0046] As mentioned earlier, various phototherapy devices (which use long-wavelength red light around 650nm) already exist. They use a binocular structure, with each binocular corresponding to one eye. The distance between the binos can be adjusted via a mechanical structure to fit the human eye, so that the red light images seen by both eyes overlap. The basic optical path structure of each binocular is shown in Figure 1.

[0047] Figure 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating the basic optical path structure of a monocular in a conventional phototherapy device. As shown in Figure 1, the basic optical path structure of the monocular may include at least a light source 101 and a light-transmitting element 102. The light-transmitting element can be a transparent protective window plate or a light-transmitting lens to further converge or diverge the light beam emitted by the light source. In the implemented scenario, red wavelength light is emitted from the light source 101, passes through the light-transmitting element 102, enters the human eye 103, and illuminates the retina to correct vision.

[0048] However, the influence of the environment on myopia is mainly achieved by altering the image input received by the retina. The retina is the core of visual signal transmission, and different types of image input (such as optical defocus and contrast) have a significant impact on the development and adaptive changes of the eyeball. It is understandable that changes in modern lifestyles (such as the use of electronic screens) lead to prolonged near-vision states, resulting in the retina receiving mostly fine, fixed near-field patterns. This continuous visual stimulation triggers adaptive changes in retinal cells, further causing excessive elongation of the eyeball's anteroposterior axis. Therefore, simply using phototherapy devices with specific wavelengths of light cannot address the root causes of these problems and thus cannot meet the current societal demand for vision improvement.

[0049] Conversely, certain designed image inputs can inhibit the progression of myopia. For example, defocused control lenses effectively slow down the excessive elongation of the axial length of the eye by adjusting the optical imaging pattern on the retina. This indicates that by controlling the type of image received by the retina, the occurrence and development of myopia can be controlled to some extent. The anatomical structure and functional characteristics of the retina further corroborate the influence of image input on myopia development. Specifically, the retina is composed of multiple layers of neurons, including photoreceptor cells (such as rod and cone cells), bipolar cells, and ganglion cells, each playing an important role in the reception and processing of visual signals. When the retina receives near, intricate patterned visual stimuli for a prolonged period, the signal processing of its various cell layers undergoes adaptive adjustments, thereby affecting the shape of the eyeball. For example, overexcitation of photoreceptor cells may trigger changes in the signal pathway between the retina and sclera through the release of neurotransmitters, ultimately leading to elongation of the axial length of the eye.

[0050] Figure 2 is an exemplary schematic diagram of the human retina. The left image in Figure 2 shows the division of different tissue regions of the human retina, including, for example, the macula, fovea, parafovea, perifovea, foveal avascular zone (FAZ), foveola, and umbo. Different tissue regions contain different types of cells; for example, the right image in Figure 2 shows the cell distribution in the FAZ, foveola, and umbo. Each cell acts as a photodetector, receiving energy and contrast from light. As can be seen from the figure, the cells in the human retina are closely packed, each cell is irregularly round, and cells do not receive information from each other. This allows the human eye to judge the edges of objects to determine their resolution. Therefore, by reshaping the light source at the conjugate position of the fundus (i.e., the exit pupil position of the focusing lens), the reshaped light is projected onto the retina, allowing the retina to receive information other than energy, such as light resolution and color information. This can inhibit or delay the elongation of the axial length of the eye, thereby improving vision.

[0051] Based on this, this application provides a phototherapy system for improving vision, which uses a light shaper to shape light into a light spot with a specific pattern for irradiating the fundus. Thus, the signal input to the retina can be adjusted through the specific pattern, reducing the tendency for excessive eyeball elongation and achieving the effect of improving vision.

[0052] The specific embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0053] Figure 3 is an exemplary structural block diagram illustrating a phototherapy system 300 for improving vision according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3, the phototherapy system 300 includes: a light source 301 for emitting illumination light; and a light shaper 302 for shaping the illumination light emitted by the light source to form a light spot with a specific pattern, which is projected onto the fundus to improve vision. The shaping pattern of the light shaper includes: a pattern formed by the irregular arrangement of single graphics, a pattern formed by the regular arrangement of single graphics, and / or a pattern formed by the irregular arrangement of multiple graphics.

[0054] In some embodiments, the aforementioned light source 301 can be any type of light source, and the color of the light source can be arbitrary. For example, it can be one or more of the following: long-wavelength red light around 650nm, violet light around 380nm, blue light around 450nm, and green light around 510nm. This application does not impose any limitations in this regard. The illumination light can be the light of phototherapy lighting. Phototherapy lighting is a technology that uses light within a specific wavelength range to produce therapeutic or regulatory effects on organisms. Its principle is based on the effects of light on organisms, including visual effects, non-visual effects, and chemical effects. Among these, visual effects are mainly achieved by the photoreceptor cells on the retina receiving light information.

[0055] In some embodiments, the aforementioned light shaper 302 can be a shaping plate such as a light homogenizer, a diffuser, or a diffractive optical element ("DOE"). In some embodiments, the shaping plate can be made of various materials including acrylic, PET, PC, and glass. In other embodiments, the shaping plate is processed with various processes including laser typesetting, laser etching, nanoimprinting, and metal stripping to create a shaping pattern, thereby shaping the light emitted by the light source to form a light spot with a specific pattern. This application does not impose any limitations in this regard. It is understood that the shaping pattern in the embodiments of this application is designed manually in industrial design, and the specific pattern (i.e., the light spot pattern) is related to the shaping pattern of the light shaper and the magnification of the optical system.

[0056] In some implementation scenarios, the light shaper 302 is positioned at the conjugate position of the fundus (i.e., the exit pupil position of the focusing lens). After passing through this light shaper, a light spot with a specific pattern can be generated on the fundus, allowing the human eye to perceive energy, color, and resolution, thereby inhibiting or delaying axial elongation.

[0057] In some embodiments, the light shaper includes a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is composed of a single pattern or multiple patterns, such that the first region presents a shaping pattern. The first region has a higher light transmittance than the second region, causing light to form a light spot with a specific pattern after passing through the first and second regions. It is understood that the aforementioned first region is a light-transmitting area of ​​the light shaper, and the cells corresponding to the formed shaping pattern can be activated by light stimulation. Since the first region has a higher light transmittance than the second region, it allows more light to pass through, and the brightness of the light spot corresponding to the first region is higher than that corresponding to the second region, causing light to form a light spot with a specific pattern after passing through the first and second regions. Specifically, the first region allows more light to pass through, thereby forming a brighter patterned area on the light spot, while the second region allows less light to pass through, forming a lower-brightness background area. This design can achieve precise stimulation of the retina to improve vision.

[0058] In some embodiments, the transmittance of the first region ranges from 0 to 100%, and the transmittance of the second region ranges from 0 to 100%. That is, the first region can be completely or partially transparent. The second region can be a completely opaque region or a region with weak transmittance on the light shaper. It should be noted that partial transmittance in the first region indicates a certain reduction in light energy. Cells corresponding to completely opaque areas in the second region are not stimulated and activated, while cells corresponding to regions with weak transmittance in the second region receive reduced light stimulation. In other words, the second region can block all light passing through it, in which case the transmittance is 0, or it can reduce light energy, in which case the transmittance is greater than 0 and less than 100%. Based on this design, precise control of the light spot pattern can be achieved by adjusting the transmittance of the first and second regions, thereby selectively activating cells in the target area, not activating cells in some areas, or reducing stimulation of cells in some areas according to the distribution of photoreceptor cells on the retina.

[0059] In some embodiments, the image in a single graphic in the first region described above includes several graphics with different transmittance but the same shape. Alternatively, the graphics in a single graphic are graphics with the same transmittance and the same shape. Multiple graphics include several graphics with different transmittance. Alternatively, multiple graphics are several graphics with the same transmittance. That is, in the light shaper, some points may have the same transmittance, while other points may have different transmittance. This setting of inconsistent transmittance can visually create a sense of resolution with black and white intervals, inducing a visual change trend.

[0060] As an example, for a multi-ring pattern, the transmittance on the light shaper can vary gradually, for example, radially from the center outwards, thus forming a light spot with a specific pattern of gradually changing brightness. For a dot matrix pattern, the transmittance on the light shaper can also vary gradually, for example, along the horizontal, vertical, or ±45° direction. The aforementioned gradual changes all include both increasing and decreasing brightness.

[0061] As described above, the aforementioned shaping patterns can include patterns of a single irregular graphic, a single regular graphic, and / or multiple irregularly arranged graphics. In some embodiments, patterns formed by arranging single graphics in a regular manner can include patterns formed by arranging single graphics along a fixed direction and at fixed intervals, and / or patterns formed by single graphics spreading outward from their geometric centers and overlapping. In some embodiments, the aforementioned graphics can include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following graphics: solid circles, tori, solid polygons (e.g., hexagons), and polygonal frames (e.g., hexagonal frames). In some implementation scenarios, for example, the diffusion of a torii, the width of the tori can remain constant or increase.

[0062] In some embodiments, the aforementioned fixed direction can be a single direction, or the fixed direction can include multiple different directions. The single direction can be, for example, any direction among horizontal, vertical, diagonal, or circular, while the multiple different directions are mutually perpendicular first and second directions. Taking dot matrix, square matrix, or other patterns as examples, the aforementioned mutually perpendicular first and second directions can correspond to the horizontal or vertical direction of the dot matrix, square matrix, etc. Alternatively, the first and second directions can correspond to the vertical or horizontal direction of the dot matrix, square matrix, etc.

[0063] In some embodiments, the value of the aforementioned fixed spacing satisfies d1=M×k×S cell Where d1 represents a fixed spacing, and S cell Let S represent the size of the photoreceptor cells, k represent the unit cell number coefficient, and k is a positive integer. M represents the magnification of the projection of the phototherapy system. And / or, the graphic size of a single graphic satisfies S. figure 1 = M × l × S cell , among which, S figure 1 represents the graphic size, and l represents the unit cell number coefficient, where l is a positive integer. It's important to understand that the aforementioned unit cell number coefficient refers to the number of photoreceptor cells that a graphic, as a light-transmitting unit, can cover during pattern design. The unit cell number coefficients for graphic size and spacing are set independently; for example, a single light-transmitting dot can be designed to cover 3 photoreceptor cells, and the spacing between two light-transmitting dots can be 5 photoreceptor cells.

[0064] Receptor cells contain two main types of photoreceptor cells: cone cells and rod cells. These cells are responsible for converting light signals into neural signals, which are then transmitted to the brain for visual information processing. Rod cells are 0.04mm-0.06mm long and 0.002mm in diameter, while cone cells are 0.028mm-0.058mm long and 0.0025mm-0.0075mm in diameter. Because the types and sizes of photoreceptor cells in the eye are not unique, in some embodiments, the minimum photoreceptor cell size can be used to ensure that the illumination accuracy meets the size accuracy requirements of the smallest photoreceptor cell.

[0065] This application embodiment designs the graphic size and spacing according to the size of the photoreceptor cells, which can improve the illumination accuracy of a single light-transmitting unit in the phototherapy system to the photoreceptor cell size level. Combined with the magnification of the projection of the phototherapy system, it can ensure that the illumination accuracy of the light spot of the specific pattern formed after the projection of the phototherapy system can also reach the photoreceptor cell size level. By improving the illumination accuracy, the use effect of the phototherapy system is enhanced.

[0066] In some embodiments, the pattern formed by the irregular arrangement of multiple graphics satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the pattern has at least two kinds of spacing between adjacent graphics, and the value of any spacing between adjacent graphics satisfies d2=M×n×S cell Where d2 represents the spacing between adjacent graphics, and S cell Let S represent the size of the photoreceptor cells, n represent the number of cells per unit cell (where n is a positive integer), and M represent the magnification of the phototherapy system projection. In various graphics, the value of the size of any graphic satisfies S... figure 2 = M × q × S cell , among which, S figure 2 represents the graphic size, and q represents the unit cell number coefficient, where q is a positive integer. Similar to the patterns formed by arranging single graphics in a regular pattern, the graphic size and spacing of the patterns formed by arranging multiple graphics randomly (random patterns) are also independent of the regular patterns.

[0067] In other embodiments, the light spot with a specific pattern satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the spacing between adjacent patterns ranges from (0.002 mm to 0.5 mm); the size of the pattern ranges from (0.002 mm to 0.5 mm). This is because prolonged exposure of the retina to close-range, fine-patterned visual stimulation has a direct impact on the occurrence and progression of myopia. Excessively high or low contrast can stimulate eyeball elongation, while a specifically designed control pattern can slow down the tendency of excessive eyeball elongation by adjusting the signal input to the retina. In this embodiment, a light shaper is designed to achieve a specific light spot pattern, thereby achieving precise spatial stimulation of the retina to improve vision.

[0068] It's important to understand that 0.002mm in a specific pattern represents the size of the smallest cell on the retina, which is also the smallest size of a single spot of light projected onto the retina, and the minimum distance between two of these smallest cells (0.002mm). 0.5mm represents the maximum spot size projected onto the retina, which is 0.5mm, with a spacing of 0.5mm. It should be noted that the range of values ​​for the spacing between adjacent patterns and the range of pattern sizes are calculated based on the coverage area of ​​1-66 smallest cells.

[0069] As described above, this application embodiment uses a light shaper containing a shaping pattern formed by the irregular arrangement of a single pattern, the regular arrangement of a single pattern, and / or the irregular arrangement of multiple patterns. This shapes light into a light spot with a specific pattern. The visual stimulation of this specific patterned light spot adjusts the signal processing of multiple neurons in the retina, allowing the retina to receive information other than energy, thus reducing excessive eyeball elongation and effectively improving vision. This application embodiment is not limited to the center of the retina but also pays special attention to the optical signal input in the peripheral retinal area, expanding the illumination range and significantly optimizing the dose-response relationship for improving vision. Furthermore, by actively projecting a high-signal-intensity light spot with a specific pattern onto the retina, this application embodiment not only improves the spatial accuracy of retinal stimulation but also significantly shortens the onset time.

[0070] Figure 4 shows an exemplary schematic diagram of a phototherapy system for improving vision according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the phototherapy system may include a light source 301 and a light shaper 302. Furthermore, it may include a projection system composed of an illumination lens 401 and a projection lens 402. As described above, the light source 301 is used to emit illumination light; the light shaper 302 is used to shape the illumination light emitted by the light source, so that the light forms a light spot with a specific pattern. Further, the illumination lens 401 may be disposed on the light source emission side of the light source 301 to collect the light emitted by the light source 301 and shaped by the light shaper 302, and project the light onto the projection lens 402. The projection lens 402 projects the light emitted by the illumination lens 401 onto the human eye 103, so that the light forms a light spot with a specific pattern projected onto the human eye. More details regarding the light shaper 302 can be found in the description of Figure 3 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0071] Figure 5A is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating a pattern formed by arranging single graphics in a regular manner according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5A shows: (a) a pattern formed by a single graphic being a ring, spreading outwards from its geometric center and overlapping; (b) a pattern formed by a single graphic being a semi-circular ring; (c) a pattern formed by a single graphic being a solid circle, arranged regularly along the horizontal and vertical directions at a certain interval; (d) a dotted ring pattern formed by a single graphic being a solid circle, spreading outwards from its geometric center and overlapping; (e) a pattern formed by a single graphic being a square, arranged regularly along the horizontal and vertical directions; (f) a square ring pattern formed by a single graphic being a square, spreading outwards from its geometric center and overlapping; (g) a pattern formed by a single graphic being a ring, spreading outwards from its geometric center and overlapping; (h) a pattern formed by a single graphic being a square ring, spreading outwards from its geometric center and overlapping; and (i) a pattern formed by a single graphic being a hexagon, arranged regularly at a certain interval. (j) The figure exemplifies a pattern formed by a single hexagonal frame that expands outward from its geometric center and overlaps with other shapes.

[0072] Furthermore, patterns arranged according to different rules can be combined to form new patterns. For example, the patterns in figures (a) and (b) can be combined to form a pattern that is a semi-circular ring with nested rings inside. As mentioned above, this can be achieved by following a fixed spacing d1 = M × k × S. cell Arrange them in a regular pattern. The size of a single graphic can satisfy S. figure 1 = M × l × S cell .

[0073] Figure 5B is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating a pattern formed by randomly arranging a single graphic according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5B, the pattern is formed by using a single graphic as a circle, and the circles are randomly distributed.

[0074] Figure 5C illustrates a pattern formed by the irregular arrangement of various shapes according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 5C shows a pattern formed by using various polygons arranged irregularly. In some embodiments, for the irregular patterns shown in Figures 5B and 5C, the spacing between any two adjacent shapes can satisfy d2 = M × n × S. cell The value of any graphic dimension can satisfy S figure 2 = M × q × S cell .

[0075] It should be understood that the patterns in Figures 5A-5C of this application are exemplary and not limiting. In some embodiments, a visual target may be added to the above-mentioned shaping pattern to enable fixation of the human eye and guide the eye to illuminate a specific area. The visual target may be, for example, a circle, a square, or a cross, as shown in Figures (a) and (b) of Figure 5A above.

[0076] In some embodiments, the phototherapy system of this application may further include a light polarizer. The light polarizer is positioned in the propagation direction of the illumination light and is used to adjust the polarization direction of the illumination light to form polarized light. In some embodiments, the light polarizer is placed between the light source and the light shaper; or, the light polarizer is placed on the light-emitting side of the light shaper. In some embodiments, the polarized light is one of the following polarized lights: circularly polarized light, elliptically polarized light, partially polarized light, and linearly polarized light. This is because some cells in the retina have a specific response to the polarization state of light, and thus, this application embodiment adjusts the polarization characteristics of the light through the light polarizer. This can further optimize the propagation characteristics of light on the retina, enhance the biological effect of the optical signal, more effectively stimulate target cells, and optimize the vision improvement effect.

[0077] Figure 6 is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating a light polarizer according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6(a), the light polarizer 601 can be disposed between the light source 301 and the light shaper 302; or, as shown in Figure 6(b), the light polarizer 601 can be disposed on the light-emitting side of the light shaper, i.e., the rear surface of the projection lens 402. Based on the disposed light polarizer, the light entering the human eye 103 is polarized, i.e., the light perceived by the human eye is polarized light. In some embodiments, the polarization direction entering the human eye can be one of horizontal, vertical, 45°, or -45°.

[0078] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the light polarizer shown in FIG6 can be used in conjunction with the light shaper 302 to polarize light whose brightness distribution has been altered or to shape polarized light. In other embodiments, the light polarizer shown in FIG6 can also be used alone, for example, to project uniformly distributed polarized light onto the fundus.

[0079] In some embodiments, the phototherapy system of this application may further include: a pattern adjuster; the pattern adjuster is connected to a light shaper and is used to control the light shaper to adjust the shape of the light spot projected onto the fundus within a preset period. In some embodiments, the pattern adjuster is a drive mechanism for controlling the movement of the light shaper. In other embodiments, the aforementioned movement includes rotation and / or translation. Based on the configured pattern adjuster, the position of the light spot pattern projected onto the fundus at different times can be changed by controlling the movement of the light shaper, thereby disrupting the fixed visual stimulus in the time dimension and causing the retina to generate more signals to stop eyeball growth.

[0080] In some embodiments, the aforementioned rotation may include: continuous rotation in the same direction and / or positive and negative rotation around a fixed point. Positive and negative rotation refers to rotational motion that alternates between clockwise and counterclockwise rotation, and the rotation angle and speed of each clockwise and counterclockwise rotation may be the same or different.

[0081] In other embodiments, the aforementioned translation includes unidirectional translation and / or oscillating movement. For example, the pattern adjuster can control the light shaper to move unidirectionally from left to right, and the pattern adjuster can also control the light shaper to move back and forth in the horizontal direction, in the vertical direction, or in both the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0082] Figure 7 is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating the rotation and translation of a light shaper according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, schematic diagrams of continuous rotation, positive and negative rotation, and vibration of the light shaper are shown from left to right.

[0083] It is important to understand that multiple visual systems and neural mechanisms are involved when the eye observes a rotating object. Specifically, this involves: the oculomotor system: the eye smoothly follows the trajectory of the rotating object; saccades: when an object is rotating rapidly, the eye may need to move rapidly in leaps and bounds to recapture the target; and the retina: photoreceptor cells (cones and rods) capture the light information of the rotating object. This embodiment employs a pattern modulator, which allows the light entering the eye to become a changing pattern, such as rotation or translation. This changing pattern can stimulate the retina and neural systems, providing the ability to train the eye.

[0084] Besides the method of driving the light shaper shown in Figure 7, other methods exist to adjust the shape of the light spot projected onto the fundus within a preset period. In some embodiments, a rotary switcher can be used to change the light shaper located on the optical axis. For example, the light shaper can be a light shaping plate, with multiple light shaping plates of different patterns circumferentially arranged on the rotary switcher. The rotary switcher can rotate to change the light shaping plates located on the optical axis of the phototherapy system. Within a preset period, light can pass through the light shaping plates of different patterns to form light spots of different patterns and project onto the fundus. In other embodiments, the light shaper can use a device that can change its own transmittance, such as electrically controlled dimming glass. Compared to the method shown in Figure 7, the above two methods have disadvantages such as larger space occupation and higher cost. Therefore, in practical applications, the method shown in Figure 7 can be preferred to achieve the change of light spot shape.

[0085] In some embodiments, the phototherapy system of this application may further include a light source regulator. The light source regulator is connected to the light source and is used to control the power of the light source so that it emits illumination light with varying brightness within a preset period.

[0086] In some embodiments, the illumination light with varying brightness may include illumination light with gradually changing brightness, illumination light with alternating bright and dark periods, and illumination light with gradually alternating brightness. Specifically, within a preset period, the brightness of the illumination light with gradually changing brightness gradually changes over time. Within the preset period, the brightness change of the illumination light with alternating bright and dark periods includes a bright phase and a dark phase; during the bright phase, the brightness of the illumination light with alternating bright and dark periods is a preset value, and during the dark phase, the brightness of the illumination light with alternating bright and dark periods is 0. Within the preset period, the brightness change of the illumination light with gradually alternating brightness includes a bright phase and a dark phase; during the bright phase, the brightness of the illumination light with gradually alternating brightness changes over time, and during the dark phase, the brightness of the illumination light with gradually alternating brightness is 0.

[0087] Figure 8 is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating illumination light with varying brightness according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 8 illustrates, from left to right, illumination light with gradually varying brightness, illumination light with alternating brightness, illumination light with gradually alternating brightness, and continuously emitted illumination light. The continuously emitted illumination light is illumination light generated without a light source modulator.

[0088] It can be understood that the aforementioned pattern modulator changes the shape of the light spot by moving the light shaper, while the light source modulator changes the shape of the light spot by varying the brightness of the illumination light. In other words, the light source modulator disrupts the fixed visual stimulus in the temporal dimension by changing the intensity of the light spot pattern projected onto the retina. Both can interfere with the growth signals sent from the retina to the eyeball by adjusting the signal input to the retina, causing the retina to generate more signals to stop the growth of the eyeball, thereby improving the visual acuity.

[0089] As described above, this application avoids limiting myopia control to the use of lasers and foveal illumination. Instead, it uses a light shaper to shape the light into a patterned spot and projects it onto the retina. Unlike defocused lenses and low-contrast lenses, which passively alter ambient light, this application actively projects a high-signal-intensity pattern onto the retina, adjusting the signal processing of the retinal's multilayered neurons to reduce excessive eyeball elongation and effectively improve vision. This not only improves the precision of retinal stimulation but also significantly shortens the onset time.

[0090] Furthermore, this embodiment of the application optimizes the vision improvement effect by setting a light polarizer to adjust the polarization characteristics of light based on the specific response of some cells in the retina to the polarization state of light. Even further, this embodiment of the application considers that the continuous change of the pattern projected onto the retina over time can interfere with the retina's transmission of growth signals to the eyeball. Based on this, this embodiment of the application also controls the movement of the light shaper through a pattern adjuster to change the intensity and position (such as translation and rotation) of the projected pattern; and / or transforms the light spot shape through a light source adjuster to disrupt the fixed visual stimulus over time, causing the retina to generate more signals to stop eyeball growth, further improving the vision improvement effect.

[0091] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that each embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms, and of course, it can also be implemented by hardware. Based on this understanding, the above technical solutions, in essence or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc., and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments or some parts of the embodiments.

[0092] It should be noted that although the operations of the method of this application are described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that these operations must be performed in that specific order, or that all the operations shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. On the contrary, the steps depicted in the flowchart can be performed in a different order. Additionally or alternatively, certain steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or one step may be broken down into multiple steps.

[0093] It should be understood that when the terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," etc., are used in the claims, specification, and drawings of this application, they are used only to distinguish different objects and not to describe a specific order. The terms "comprising" and "including" as used in the specification and claims of this application indicate the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or collections thereof.

[0094] It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the application. As used in this specification and claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this specification and claims refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes such combinations.

[0095] Although the embodiments of this application are described above, the content is merely an example disclosed for the purpose of understanding this application and is not intended to limit the scope or application scenarios of this application. Anyone skilled in the art described in this application may make any modifications and changes in the form and details of the implementation without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed in this application, but the scope of patent protection of this application shall still be determined by the scope defined in the appended claims.

[0096] The various component embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware, or as software modules running on one or more processors, or a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will understand that microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs) can be used in practice to implement some or all of the functions of some or all of the components in the computing processing device according to the embodiments of this application. This application can also be implemented as a device or apparatus program (e.g., a computer program and computer program product) for performing part or all of the methods described herein. Such an implementation of this application can be stored on a computer-readable medium, or can be in the form of one or more signals. Such signals can be downloaded from an Internet website, provided on a carrier signal, or provided in any other form.

[0097] The terms "an embodiment," "embodiment," or "one or more embodiments" as used herein mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this application. Furthermore, please note that the examples of the phrase "in one embodiment" do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

[0098] Numerous specific details are set forth in the specification provided herein. However, it will be understood that embodiments of this application may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this specification.

[0099] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A light therapy system for improving vision, wherein, include: A light source, used to emit light for illumination; A light shaper is used to shape the illumination light emitted by the light source so that the light forms a light spot with a specific pattern, which is used to be projected onto the fundus to improve vision; The shaping pattern of the light shaper includes: a pattern formed by the irregular arrangement of single graphics, a pattern formed by the regular arrangement of single graphics, and / or a pattern formed by the irregular arrangement of multiple graphics.

2. The phototherapy system of claim 1, wherein, The light shaper includes: a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is composed of the single graphic or the multiple graphics, such that the first region presents the shaping pattern; The first region has a higher light transmittance than the second region, so that the light passes through the first region and the second region to form a light spot with a specific pattern.

3. The phototherapy system of claim 2, wherein, The transmittance range of the first region is (0, 100%), and the transmittance range of the second region is [0, 100%).

4. The phototherapy system of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The graphics in the single graphic include: several graphics with different light transmittance but the same shape; or, The graphics in the single graphic are those with consistent light transmittance and consistent shape.

5. The phototherapy system of any of claims 1-4, wherein, The various graphics include: several graphics with different light transmittance; or, The various patterns refer to several patterns with the same light transmittance.

6. The phototherapy system of any of claims 1-5, wherein, The patterns formed by arranging the single graphic elements according to a certain pattern include: A pattern formed by arranging single shapes along a fixed direction and at fixed intervals. And / or, A pattern is formed by the expansion and superposition of a single graphic outward from its geometric center.

7. The phototherapy system of claim 6, wherein, The fixed direction is a single direction, or the fixed direction includes multiple different directions.

8. The phototherapy system of claim 7, wherein, The multiple different directions are a first direction and a second direction that are perpendicular to each other.

9. The phototherapy system of claim 6, wherein, The value of the fixed spacing satisfies d1=M×k×S cell Where d1 represents a fixed spacing, and S cell The size of the photoreceptor cell is represented by k, which is a positive integer, and M represents the magnification of the projection of the phototherapy system. And / or, The graphic size of the single graphic satisfies S figure 1 = M × l × S cell , of which S figure 1 represents the graphic size, l represents the cell number coefficient, and l is a positive integer.

10. The phototherapy system of any one of claims 1-8, wherein, The pattern formed by the irregular arrangement of the various graphics satisfies at least one of the following conditions: The pattern has at least two kinds of spacing between adjacent figures, and the value of any spacing between adjacent figures satisfies d2=M×n×S cell Where d2 represents the spacing between adjacent graphics, and S cell The size of the photoreceptor cell is represented by , n is the number of cells per unit cell (n is a positive integer), and M is the magnification of the projection of the phototherapy system. In the plurality of patterns, the value of the size of any pattern satisfies S figure 2 = M x q x S cell wherein S figure 2 represents the size of the pattern, and q represents a number-of-unit-cell coefficient, q being a positive integer.

11. The phototherapy system of any one of claims 1-8, wherein, In the light spot with the specific pattern, the specific pattern satisfies at least one of the following conditions: The spacing between adjacent graphics ranges from 0.002 mm to 0.5 mm. The graphic dimensions range from 0.002mm to 0.5mm.

12. The phototherapy system of any one of claims 1-11, wherein, The graphic includes one or more of the following: a solid circle, a torus, a solid polygon, and a polygonal frame.

13. The phototherapy system of any of claims 1-12, wherein, Also includes: light polarizers; The light polarizer is positioned in the propagation direction of the illumination light to adjust the polarization direction of the illumination light, thereby forming polarized light.

14. The phototherapy system of claim 13, wherein, The light polarizer is placed between the light source and the light shaper; or, The light polarizer is placed on the light-emitting side of the light shaper.

15. The phototherapy system of claim 13, wherein, The polarized light is one of the following types of polarized light: circularly polarized light, elliptically polarized light, partially polarized light, and linearly polarized light.

16. The phototherapy system of any one of claims 1-15, wherein, Also includes: pattern adjuster; The pattern adjuster is connected to the light shaper and is used to control the light shaper to adjust the shape of the light spot projected onto the fundus within a preset period.

17. The phototherapy system of claim 16, wherein, The pattern adjuster is a drive mechanism that controls the movement of the light shaper.

18. The phototherapy system of claim 17, wherein, The motion includes rotation and / or translation; the rotation includes continuous rotation in the same direction and / or positive and negative rotation around a fixed point; the translation includes unidirectional translation and / or oscillating movement.

19. The phototherapy system of any one of claims 1-18, wherein, It also includes: a light source regulator; The light source regulator is connected to the light source and is used to control the power of the light source so that it emits illumination light with varying brightness within a preset period.

20. The phototherapy system of claim 19, wherein, The illumination light with varying brightness includes: illumination light with gradually changing brightness, illumination light with alternating brightness and darkness, and illumination light with gradually alternating brightness; wherein, Within a preset period, the brightness of the lighting light gradually changes over time; Within a preset period, the brightness change of the alternating bright and dark lighting includes a bright phase and a dark phase. During the bright phase, the brightness of the alternating bright and dark lighting is a preset value, and during the dark phase, the brightness of the alternating bright and dark lighting is 0. Within a preset period, the brightness changes of the gradually alternating lighting light include a bright phase and a dark phase. During the bright phase, the brightness of the gradually alternating lighting light changes gradually over time, while during the dark phase, the brightness of the gradually alternating lighting light is 0.

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